An Ugly Shade of Jealousy
by KateToast
Summary: Jealousy was a very ugly color on Zoey Brooks. Oneshot during Lola Likes Chase, with CZ undertones.


**Disclaimer**: I don't own Zoey 101 or any of its dialogue.

**A/N**: This takes place throughout the episode _Lola Likes Chase_, all from Zoey's POV. I've pretty much just taken the lines from the show and inserted them in here, adding personal thoughts that teenagers go through, plus some extra lines of my own creation ;) Enjoy.

_An Ugly Shade of Jealousy_

**XXX**

Zoey stared contemplatively at the pictures above her bed in room 101 of Brenner Hall, tilting her head sideways and crossing her arms over her chest. She hated hanging frames; they never came out straight. Always annoyingly unbalanced, and you don't even notice until someone else points it out to you. Lola opened their refrigerator door and Zoey glanced over at her, following her roommate's movements as she headed towards Zoey's bed.

"Hey, uh, can I talk to you about something?" Lola asked suddenly after plopping down on the bed.

"Sure, what's up?" Zoey uncrossed her arms and leaned forward a little with interest.

Lola unscrewed the cap on her bottle of Blix. "Tell me about you and Chase," she commanded breezily before taking a sip.

Zoey's mind and heart began racing at Lola's implications, but she raised her shoulders nonchalantly. "Me and Chase? We're friends, why?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Just friends?"

Frowning slightly, Zoey replied, "Yeah… Why do you ask?"

"Just wonderin'," Lola said indifferently, her shrug aloof.

"Okay…," Zoey said, slightly confused. She headed back to the pictures above her bed and stepped up onto chest she'd placed against the wall to give her some extra height. The tilt was clearer than ever now and she placed her hands on the sides of the frame to move it.

"'Cause I might ask Chase out," Lola said abruptly, though the delivery of the sentence was casual and she took another sip of Blix after she'd revealed it.

Zoey thought her heart had literally stopped at those words. She dropped her hands to her sides and turned slowly, trying to keep herself in check. This shouldn't bother her. It was no big deal. So Lola might ask Chase out, who cares?

"Oh yeah?" she asked, her voice rising a little at the end with false interest.

Lola looked at her friend innocently enough, not catching on to Zoey's sudden change in mood. "Unless that'd make you feel weird," Lola suggested, her face showing only concern.

"No! Ask him out… I think it's a great idea," Zoey said, surprised at how cheerful she sounded. She could barely meet Lola's eyes.

Smiling widely, Lola nodded a little. "Okay! Thanks Zoe! I'm gonna head down to the lounge, play some foosball," she told her, bouncing out of their room happily and seemingly much less burdened than when she'd entered.

"Have fun," Zoey said as the other girl exited, feeling her smile grow tighter. It slipped totally off of her face after the door had closed.

Zoey bit her lip, frowning and staring at the carpeted floor. Lola liked Chase? Chase Matthews? Chase Matthews, her best guy friend? _Her_ Chase? (Not that he was her property, or something.) How did this happen? When did this happen? _Why_ was this happening?

Turning back towards her uneven frame, Zoey attempted to calm herself. There was no reason to be upset. Lola had every right to like whomever she wanted. It wasn't Zoey's decision to pick who her roommate liked, who her roommate wanted to ask out, who her roommate probably wanted to _make out _with… Oh, God, Chase and Lola were going to make out…

_No_, Zoey said firmly in her mind, focusing back on the task before her. This shouldn't even bother her. It was good, if she really thought about it. Really, really, _really_ thought about it.

Good for Lola! She had chosen a nice guy, the kindest and sweetest guy you could probably find at PCA. He was smart and funny and loyal and cute. And good for Chase, too, because Lola was… was really…

Zoey didn't know why she couldn't think of any positive qualities about her friend at the moment.

Satisfied that the picture was straight, Zoey stepped off of the chest and then moved backwards to get a better overall look. She scrutinized her efforts, searching for any signs of a tilt, an unbalance, but this was no use because she'd already concluded earlier that the picture-hanger normally doesn't even notice the problem. And, not surprisingly, she found no issues with her pictures at all.

Just like she had no issues with Lola wanting to ask Chase out. They were teenagers; teenagers develop crushes, ask people out, go on dates. Teenagers also hold hands in public, make out in private (or in front of others, if they're an unembarrassed sort of couple), spend more time with each other than with anyone else, grow to love one another, and maybe even eventually do things more physical than just making out. Sometimes people that date in high school get married one day, have kids and get a dog and forget their friends…

Zoey took a deep breath. Where had all of that come from? She didn't think like this. Both of them were her friends; she should be happy for them. None of this mattered. Lola and Chase. Chase and Lola. Chase's girlfriend, Lola. Lola's boyfriend, Chase.

No one's anything, Zoey.

In her mind, she tried to imagine the scenario where they do date, they do start a relationship, they're happy. Seeing them together, walking around the PCA campus, him making her laugh and her smiling at him like he's the most amazing thing she's ever seen.

Zoey wasn't sure if she could stomach seeing that day, after day, after day, let alone for the rest of their years at boarding school. But she only felt like that because… they were _wrong_ for each other. Completely and totally wrong for each other. Lola should find a boy more outrageous, more into musicals and acting and dying their hair unnatural colors like _yellow_. And Chase… Chase should find a girl as equally nice and sweet as him, but one who can challenge him, make him be even better than he already is, make him feel as special as he makes Zoey herself feel-

But no. Where had that thought come from?

"Hey Zoe," Nicole greeted as she entered the dorm room and then flopped down on her bed, discarding her backpack on the floor.

Zoey waved unenthusiastically, and began staring at the pictures once more.

"It's still a little crooked," Nicole pointed out.

Sighing, Zoey turned away from the wall, and then looked back with more purpose than before, and, after only a second this time, her eyes caught the tilt. Always annoyingly unbalanced, and you don't even notice it until someone else points it out to you.

Lola liked Chase.

Hopefully someday she'd straighten out her own unbalance, or have someone point out the answer to her, because God knew she wasn't going to notice it by herself.

**XXX**

"Hey, Zoey…"

"Yeah?"

"Listen, um, we haven't really gotten to talk about this," Nicole said lightly as she opened her History book. "But how're you feeling about the whole… Lola asking Chase out thing?"

Zoey buried her nose into her own textbook after she'd gotten comfortable lying on her stomach on her bed. "I don't really want to talk about that. I thought we were gonna study?"

"Yeah, we are, but… you don't have any… thoughts?" Nicole pressed, knowing there was more to tell than an 'I don't want to talk about it'.

"Seriously, Nicole, let's just study," Zoey said, a little harsher than she'd intended.

Five minutes and at least sixteen history-related questions later, Zoey's mind was completely unfocused on her studies and Nicole's quizzing. All that was running through her head was: had she done it yet? Had Lola asked Chase out yet?

Zoey tapped her pen against her textbook restlessly, staring out the dorm room window. Nicole noticed her friend's continual agitation, but tried once more, "Next question:…" At a lack of acknowledgement, Nicole glanced at Zoey and said, "Um… Zoe?" She snapped her fingers twice to get her attention.

"Why would Lola want to ask Chase out?" Zoey spilled, her voice tinged with frustration. _And why can't I get over it already?_, she added to herself.

Nicole frowned. "Okay; I thought you said you didn't want to talk about it."

"I don't!" Zoey let out a breath and looked back down at her textbook, trying to get back to studying. "Okay, what was the name of President McKinley's wife, the first lady?" Wife… girlfriend… Lola wanting to ask Chase out… how did everything get back to that?

Nicole gazed at the ceiling in thought as she replied, "I think her name was… Ida?"

But Zoey couldn't even process the answer, her mind already back to her roommate and best guy friend. "Can you even picture them going out together?" she questioned, with much more attitude than Zoey Brooks normally had. Apparently, this situation brought out the worst in her… and she didn't even know why.

Nicole's eyebrows furrowed. "President McKinley and Ida?"

"No! Chase and Lola!" Zoey clarified shortly, her head aching from so many awful thoughts, all of them with Chase and Lola together as a couple, happy, and she, Zoey, left alone with no one.

(Her, sitting in class and watching him IM _Lola_ with a stupid comment about the teacher; her, walking alone around campus, watching he and _Lola_ pass by holding hands, totally into each other and totally ignoring her; her, relaxing in the girls' lounge, watching he and _Lola _play a game of "Would You Rather", laughing over every ridiculous decision and never inviting her to join; her, answering the dorm room door when he comes to pick up _Lola_ for a date, pretending to be happy as she waves goodbye to them.)

"So you _do _want to talk about it," Nicole assumed.

"No!" Zoey defended. "Stop bringing it up." She didn't need Nicole's "wise" advice (which was always to go and make out with a cute boy) and pity looks right now. She wanted… peace; she wanted everything to go back to how it was yesterday, before that insane actress with weird hair (and a great taste in guys) told her she was going to ask Chase Matthews out.

Zoey got up from her bed and grabbed one of her notebooks off of her nightstand as Nicole said, "Listen, Chase and Lola probably even aren't _gonna_ go out."

"Why do you think that?" Zoey didn't want to get her hopes up just yet.

"Because… Lola asked him and Chase said he had to think about it," Nicole told her friend, trying her hardest to make her feel better.

"What?" Zoey sat back down on her bed, her stomach turning with anxiousness at the entire thing. "How do you know this?" she demanded.

"Lola told me," Nicole said with a shrug.

Zoey's eyes flashed. This was a very important piece of information! How could her supposed "best friend" keep this from her? "Well why didn't you tell me? All you ever do is talk about stuff, and today you decide it's a good idea to keep your big yap shut?" It came out stronger than it had been in her head, but Zoey wasn't feel that pleasant tonight.

Nicole let out a breath that sounded almost like a stifled chuckle. "Alright, what is your deal?" she asked, confused by why this was affecting the girl in front of her so much.

Zoey was feeling regretful now of how she'd just acted and sighed, glancing away. "I don't know… I'm just… worried," she confided, and it was (almost wholly) the truth. Besides, she couldn't even explain with words the other things she was feeling, that was how complicated they were. She didn't understand them herself; how could she make someone else get it?

"Why?" Nicole pressed, lifting an eyebrow.

"'Cause…," Zoey began, trying to think of one of the many reasons. "Chase is like my closest guy friend and Lola's my roommate… and I just don't want anyone to get hurt." _Including me_, flashed across her conscience, but she didn't mention that.

Nicole stared at her friend as if she knew more than Zoey was telling, her lips almost turned up in a smile and her eyebrows high, and after only a second Zoey felt extremely uncomfortable and a small blush appeared across her cheeks. "Are you sure that's what's buggin' you, Zoe?"

Zoey didn't even want to know what Nicole was implying. Or did she already know anyway? "Yeah…," she trailed off, barely able to meet the brunette's eyes for fear of blabbing anything else.

Before the conversation could continue, (speak of the devil), Lola herself entered the dorm room. Zoey's stomach tightened at the sight of the girl they'd only been friends with since September, and she sat up a little straighter while Nicole watched. Lola was all smiles, which made Zoey all the more annoyed, already riled up from her discussion with Nicole.

"Guess what?" Lola posed, but didn't actually let either guess before saying: "Chase said yes! How great is that?" She grinned, showing off all of her straight, white teeth, before turning to her bed to deposit her bag.

Zoey got the sudden urge to punch something (or some_one_) at that declaration. She felt Nicole's eyes on her, but couldn't even turn her head, her gaze set on the girl who was swiftly ruining her life. If anyone had told her they'd give her a million dollars to smile just then, she wouldn't have been able to. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her mouth was dry with shock.

"So… great…," she said slowly, and if Lola noticed the complete lack of excitement, or any emotion at all, in her tone, she didn't mention it.

Zoey tried to start studying for History again with Nicole, but it was no use. Lola was prattling on as she went through her large bag: "God, I can't believe he said yes! I really thought he was going to say no after he had told me he'd think about it and everything. I guess I understand, though, I mean he's really thoughtful, so of course he'd want to really consider something before he does it. I love that about him."

"Yeah. Chase sure is… thoughtful," Zoey agreed, irked.

"We were just studying for History, you wanna join us? I know you're in a different class, but it's always nice to review," Nicole said to Lola, trying to ease the tension.

Lola smiled appreciatively. "Oh, no thanks. I'm studied-out right now. Chase has been helping me _so_ much, but it can get so tiring. At least I actually get what's going on in Biology now! I'd totally have like an F without Chase."

Zoey's ears were burning along with her face now, she could feel it. Could Lola talk about _nothing_ else now? Was it always going to be like this, forever? Chase _this_, Chase _that_? They hadn't even gone _out _on their stupid, _stupid _date yet and already she was talking like they were getting married next week.

"I think I'm gonna go for a jog. I need to burn off some of this energy!" Lola laughed, standing up from her bed and going towards her drawer. She picked out green shorts and a blue top and headed towards the bathroom.

Nicole turned to Zoey, but the latter was already up and putting her books down before she could say anything. "I'm gonna go see what Quinn is doing."

Zoey never thought she'd actually get tired of hearing Chase's name.

**XXX**

Zoey stood in the middle of the tennis court, feeling like an idiot. Two other kids played at the court next to her, laughing and fooling around. They'd asked if she'd wanted to join them, but she'd declined, so sure he'd show up.

So much for that idea.

She exited the court and made her way across the campus to the grass by the fountain she knew Chase liked to hang out at. She could see him in the distance, lying down and flipping through a textbook, listening to music. Zoey could've sworn her heart skipped a beat, but it was probably because she was still mad over him saying yes to Lola, and nothing to do with how nice and casual he looked in his blue PCA shirt and jeans. As she approached, however, anger bubbled inside of her.

"Hey, what's up?" he greeted with a smile, yanking the headphones out of his ears.

Zoey didn't even respond. She just held up her tennis racket and waved it with one hand, then did the same with the tennis ball in her other hand.

Chase frowned and looked away. "Oh… my God," he muttered, resting his forehead in his hand.

"Uh huh," Zoey said, stopping herself from saying anything else that was a little less kind than this agreement. She did _not_ appreciate being forgotten about.

"We were supposed to play tennis after school," he said unnecessarily, sounding regretful.

"At 4:30," Zoey confirmed, pursing her lips together.

"Alright, I am the _worst_," Chase said, honestly upset.

Zoey wasn't really in the mood for this. It was bad enough he was all she could focus on lately, that he was the topic of her every thought. Well, he and _Lola_. "How could you forget?" she questioned, really wanting a true response.

Chase's eyes darted all over the place as he explained with a shrug, "Well, Lola has her Biology test tomorrow and I was making her a list of stuff she needs to know." He held up the paper and added, "Look; it's color-coded," with a winning smile.

Of course. _Lola_. Was it bad that Zoey wanted to kick this chick out of their dorm room?

"It's adorable," Zoey said sarcastically.

Chase stood up. "You're mad," he concluded.

"Nooo," Zoey replied bitingly, frowning and shaking her head. How could he just forget? He'd _never _forgotten _anything_ before when it came to her.

"Look I promise I won't do it again," Chase said with his hands in his pockets, his sweet gaze on her unhappy face.

Zoey hated that she was such a pushover when it came to Chase. "Okay," she consented easily, probably too easily. She tried to fix the mood by suggesting with a smile, "Hey, you wanna go to Sushi Rox and get a spicy California roll?"

"I do," Chase said.

Zoey nodded. "Good." She began turning, satisfied with how this was turning out. This was how it should be: Chase spending time with her, not… _Lola_.

"But," he continued suddenly, and she turned back, "I can't."

Shoulders sagging, Zoey asked dejectedly, "How come?"

Chase looked bashful as he responded, "I'm uh, seein' a movie on campus with Lola."

This was the last straw.

"Ok_ay_, busy boy, you lemmi know when you have some time on your schedule," she said, bordering on anger again. She started to walk away, unable to look at him.

Zoey had half-hoped, as she stalked down the path, that he would follow her, or at least call her name; that he would tell her that he'd only said yes to _Lola_ because he didn't want to hurt her feelings, that he didn't like her like that, that he really just wanted to hang out with her, Zoey, instead of _Lola_.

The disappointment she felt when she reached her dorm room without another single word from Chase was practically unbearable.

**XXX**

Zoey sat on the fuzzy orange beanbag chair in room 101 of Brenner Hall, staring, once again, at the new pictures above her bed, searching for the unbalance, the tilt. Not surprisingly, she couldn't find it.

She was afraid to leave the room, right now. Afraid if she left she'd eventually run into Chase and Lola, have to see them together, have all of her horrible daydreams come true. Seeing him happy with a girl who most definitely wasn't her.

Not that she meant she wanted him to be on a movie-date with _her_. Not at all.

There was a knock at the door and she sighed before lifting herself out of the chair to answer it. The person on the other side caught her off guard.

"Chase? What are you doing here?" she asked sharply, too sharply, and she winced as the words fully hit her own ears.

He looked apologetic as he replied, "Oh, uh, nothing. Just… you know, wondering if you wanted to go get a California roll at Sushi Rox with a loser like me." He had his irresistible Chase-smile on, the one Zoey found it hard to say no to.

"What about Lola?" She didn't want assume anything, but him showing up at her door while he was supposed to be on a date with her roommate was certainly a telling sign.

"Oh, yeah, well, the thing is…" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking especially gangly and unsure of himself. "I shouldn't have told her I'd go on a date with her."

Zoey knew she was delving too far, knew she should just be happy that he didn't want to date Lola, but she inquired anyway: "Why?"

"Because… I don't like her like that. I just like her as a friend."

"Oh." Zoey's smile had returned; it was the contagious one that no one could resist, Chase included. Though she was feeling completely elated, she still felt the need to dig deeper. "So… what'd you tell her?"

"That there's so-" Chase halted, his eyes widening, and he backtracked, "Um, that… basically what I just said; that I think of her only as a friend and nothing more."

Zoey thought he had been about to say something along the lines of "there's someone else" but she knew pressing the matter would scare him away, and she didn't want that, especially after going through these torturous few days of being afraid of losing him.

As her friend, of course. Losing her _friend_.

"Hey, you know, I told Dustin I'd hang out with him and this girl he likes in a little while… how about you come with me?" she offered, all memories of her annoyance at him from the past few days gone. "It might make him feel more comfortable, having both of us there."

"You want me to double-date with your little brother?" Chase asked with a chuckle, the full impact of his words reaching him moments later and the smiling sliding off of his face.

Zoey just giggled, ignoring his comment. "C'mon, two ninth-graders hanging out with two sixth-graders? How much more fun can you get?"

"Yeah, you're right. I'm in," Chase nodded, the smile reappearing. He stepped out of the doorway as Zoey grabbed her bag and checked her watch, and watched happily as she locked the door and closed it, following him down the hallway.

"You know what we should play?"

"What?"

"'Would You Rather'," Chase told her confidently.

Zoey laughed and bumped against his side as they exited Brenner Hall. "Good idea."

Over an hour later they were sitting outside on cushioned chairs with Dustin and his friend Sandy, California rolls placed on the small table in the center of the set-up and a drink in front of everyone. All four laughed as each posed crazy choices and gave equally crazy answers.

"Okay, okay. Chase: would you rather… eat five pounds of raw liver, or wear a bikini to class?" Zoey asked amidst laughter from the foursome.

Chase grinned. "Bikini to class, no question."

Dustin looked surprised. "Really?"

"Oh yeah, I look hot in a bikini."

Zoey shook her head as she chuckled, trying to picture the boy sitting across from her in a bikini and only getting a very disturbing image. "Okay, don't wanna know how you know that," she said jokingly.

Chase shrugged in understanding. "No, ya don't."

As Dustin threw a scenario involving head-shaving or drinking ketchup at Sandy, Zoey caught Chase's eye, and her grin turned into a soft smile. She had never realized how much he meant to her until their time together was threatened. It was true; if he had become Lola's boyfriend, they wouldn't have gotten to hang out like this together as often, if ever. Behind her already were her bewildered feelings from the past few days; it didn't matter anymore, now that Chase was safely without a girlfriend. Zoey didn't need to analyze her thoughts and ideas about him, because he was still her best friend, Chase.

Just because Nicole had implied something more during their talk didn't mean Zoey had to figure out exactly what she meant right this second. Right now, she wanted to enjoy this time with people she cared about, people she liked, people who didn't have a girlfriend who was also her roommate.

She and Chase were beating to death the joke of making out with a monkey when Dustin and Sandy both decided to go to their dorm rooms and go to bed, since it was a school night. The two were beginning to go their separate ways when Chase called Dustin back over to him.

"What?" Dustin asked tiredly.

"Don't you think you should walk her back to her room?" Chase recommended, giving a significant glance over to Sandy and then winking at Zoey when he saw her smile. "That's the gentlemanly thing to do, you know."

Dustin considered this advice, and then slowly nodded. "Okay. Good idea. Thanks, Chase." He turned back and walked towards Sandy. As they ascended the stairs he spoke to her, most likely informing her that he was going to walk her to her room.

Zoey looked upon Chase with pure amazement. Chase blushed with embarrassment and moved to sit in the chair next to her. "What?"

"That was very good advice," Zoey said, unable to keep mouth from curving upwards. Chase was probably the only boy she knew who would ever give another guy a tip like that. "Better than what Logan was teaching him. Dustin looks up to you a lot."

"Yeah, he's a cool kid," Chase said, shrugging the attention off.

They sat in an easy silence for a while, enjoying the peace of the campus at night, the nice weather, the stars in the sky. Zoey couldn't help but let her eyes stray to Chase, watching as he looked around at his surroundings, taking everything in. He was a good guy; no wonder Lola had developed a crush on him.

Pleased with how everything had turned out, she got up from the chair and stretched lazily. "Well, I think I'm gonna head to my room. Thanks for coming with me."

Chase got to his feet also. "It was no problem. It's not like I had a date tonight or anything," he joked, though it fell a little flat.

Zoey grabbed her bag from off of the ground. "Goodnight," she said slowly, going towards the stairs.

"Wait," Chase instructed. He jogged up the few steps between them and smiled at her. "Lemmi walk you back."

"Thanks," Zoey said, a little shyly. Chase only shrugged as if it was no big deal and walked beside her as they made their way to their destination.

The lounge wasn't too crowded when they reached Brenner Hall, and Chase only came inside to say hi to Nicole and Quinn, whom he had seen through the window. He was wishing all three girls a good night when Lola entered. He stopped mid-sentence and stared at her uncouthly.

Lola noticed his presence quickly and cautiously approached the small group at one of the tables. "Hey, guys," she greeted, her normally free-spirited tone only slightly stifled.

Zoey looked between Chase and Lola, searching for any hints of longing, regret, love, sparks. Chase was blushing, but he always did that when he was a nervous, and Lola… well, Lola probably still felt a little something for him, so of course there were vibes from her side.

"'Night," Chase said, and he sent a quick smile to Zoey before exiting. She watched him disappear into the darkness, and then turned, realizing Lola had just done the same.

"Ah, what could have been, right?" Lola asked rhetorically, and very dramatically.

Zoey laughed with Nicole and Quinn, but inside, she was doing a little dance. Chase didn't like Lola, Lola would move on, and Zoey's life was back to normal.

Jealousy was a very ugly color on Zoey Brooks.

**XXX**

_End._


End file.
